Sponge Microbiome Data on Dimethylsulfoniopropionate Catabolism in the Red Sea

Metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, and biochemical evidence reveals the role of sponge-associated microorganisms in marine sulfur cycling. This study provides genomic, functional, and biochemical data for a novel bacterial species, Microbulbifer spongiae MI-G, isolated from the Red Sea sponge Diacarnus erythraenus. The dataset, authored by Nabila Ishaq and last updated in April 2026, is the first to confirm DMSP catabolism by sponge microbes at the microbiome, metatranscriptome, and strain levels.

Use Cases

• Study microbial dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) catabolism pathways based on metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses mentioned in the description
• Investigate assimilatory and dissimilatory sulfate reduction in sponge microbiomes based on functional gene data
• Analyze the metabolic capabilities of the novel bacterial species Microbulbifer spongiae MI-G based on genomic and recombinant protein activity evidence
• Compare sulfur cycle functional gene abundance between shallow-water and mesophotic sponge environments as described

Strengths

• Provides multi-omic evidence (metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, RT-qPCR) for a specific metabolic function
• Includes biochemical validation through heterologous gene expression and recombinant protein activity analysis
• First study to confirm DMSP catabolism by sponge microorganisms at three distinct biological levels

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• The primary data file is a 919.8 KB DOCX document, which suggests the dataset is small in scale and may contain processed results rather than raw sequence data

Provenance

Source

Nabila Ishaq via figshare

Collection Method

Metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, RT-qPCR, and bacterial isolation from sponge samples

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-15 04:37:06

Geography

Red Sea (shallow-water and mesophotic environments)